Once Again
by SheCanDoBetter
Summary: It's summer, more than a year after they had broken up. Eli and Clare seem to keep running into each other, but will new love interests keep them away from old feelings? How could somebody you loved so much become such a stranger?
1. Coming Home

**Hey, this is my first attempt at a multi-chapter story. The first few chapters are always the most difficult to write, so please share hints and advice! Hopefully you'll enjoy it, but who knows. If you have any questions or complaints of any kind, don't be hesitant to ask or share them with me.**

**Clare**

I walked into my house through the front door that my mother was holding open for us. I mumbled a thanks and finally dropped the laundry baskets I was carrying. I looked back behind me and saw Jake and Glen hauling my furniture inside.

"Thanks guys." I said as I sat down on the couch. It was finally summer! Now that my sophomore year of college was under my belt, I was officially half way through my college career. Only two more years until the journalism degree was mine and I could get a real job and move into a small apartment.

My mother sat down next to me on the couch and curled her feet under her legs, turning towards me. "Honey, I'm so glad you're home! I haven't seen you since winter break!" she told me, her eyes glistening. I had spent spring break with my boyfriend, Zachary, at his lake house.

"Yeah, sorry mom, I've missed you." I reassured her and watched as Jake and Glen also sat around the living room.

"Oh, it's fine, sweetie. You just have so much to catch us up on! How has UT been? How were your classes? When is Zach going to pay us a visit?" My mom asked me, rushing her questions, acting as if she didn't ask them now, she'd never have the chance.

I decided to give her some abridged answers, matching her pace, but lacking her enthusiasm. "It's been good, they were pretty hard, and I think he'll be coming up next week, is it okay if he stays with us for awhile?" My lips slightly turned upwards at the last part, forming a hopeful smile. My family had yet to meet Zach in person, they've only seen him in the pictures I send and the brief appearances he's made in our skype calls.

"Yes, that sounds great!" My mother happily replied, clasping her hands together near her chin. "Glen, do you think you could get the guest room painted by then? We also need a new chair. And a new bed spread wouldn't hurt..." She went on, planning a trip to the store to remodel the old guest room, still painted a shade of purple from when it was my bedroom. After Darcy moved to Kenya, I took over her room and a few years later, Jake took what had been our guest room.

I looked around the living room, ignoring my mom's list of improvements and I noticed a lot of the pictures hanging around in frames had been updated. The picture of me and my mother at the beach when I was 14 had been replaced by a picture of all of us in front of the Christmas tree this previous winter. A recent photo of Darcy next to new born calf had replaced a picture of her and my dad on her 7th birthday. There was one new replacement that caught my interest, though. Instead of a picture of me carving a pumpkin on Halloween, there was an awkwardly cropped picture of me laying underneath a tree in the backyard. I was wearing a dark gray dead hand shirt and I instantly remembered the full picture. Eli and I were laying under the tree, my legs lay over his lap, which explained why the picture cut off at my knees. I was laughing. I was happy. It was the summer before my freshman year of college. Six months before we broke up.

I was suddenly upset. Why would they have this picture up on the wall? Even if he was cut out of it, why would they even put it up? "Why is that up there?" I asked with venom to match my scowl.

Everybody looked to what I was glaring at. "Well, before you deleted your facerange account, I thought it would be nice to print out some of my favorite pictures of you." My mom explained, trying to calm me down. "It was just such a pretty picture of you. Besides, I always loved candid photos of you. I know I shouldn't have even snapped the picture in the first place, but you guys looked so happy and I couldn't resist. I just loved the way you were smiling in this and I really wanted to put it up, so I cut him out..." She eventually stopped talking.

I rolled my eyes and decided now would be a good time to start taking some clothes up to my room. I grabbed one of my laundry baskets and started to walk up the stairs. "Take it down." I managed to say before I disappeared into my room.

Once inside my room, I shut the door. I started hanging up my clothes as a few tears escaped my eyes. Still, after more than a year, he manages to have such an effect on me. Maybe I'm just bitter.

**Eli**

I paid the Taxi drive after he stopped in my driveway. "Thanks" I said as I handed him the money before I got out and opened the trunk. I started picking up my suitcases and helped Cassie with hers. Once we were unloaded, I shut the trunk and the taxi driver drove away. Cassie and I grabbed our suitcases and walked towards my front door.

Cassie is my girlfriend. We've been dating since the winter of this year. She was also a student at NYU, except she was a year younger than I am, so she just finished her sophomore year.

We reached my door and I set down one of my bags to slowly open the door. Cece and Bullfrog wanted to pick us up at the airport, but I decided it might be best if they waited at home so I could make sure Cassie felt comfortable.

The door was about halfway open and I looked over at Cassie, she raised her eyebrows, daring me to completely open it. As soon as the door was wide open, Cece came running up in her high heels, with Bullfrog trailing behind.

"Baby boy! I've missed you!" Cece complained in my ear while hugging me tightly. She stepped back and let Bullfrog give me a quick squeeze. "Stayed out of trouble, I hope." He said before they both turned their attention to Cassie.

"I've missed you too, guys." I told them both before introducing my girlfriend. "This is Cassandra, but you can call her Cassie." I said before she cut me off saying, "Actually Cas is fine."

Bullfrog and Cece both said hello to her before they lead us inside and helped us bring our bags to my room. Cassie lives in New York with her sister and decided to bring her furniture back to the apartment before coming up with me, whereas my parents and I decided it'd be easier to buy cheap furniture every year and toss it when school ends, instead of having to pay to ship it back and forth. So we both had suitcases of clothes and I had one or two more filled with personal items.

"We can go out to eat somewhere or eat here if you'd prefer." Cece told us, smiling wide.

Cassie ran a hand through her bleach blonde hair, revealing her bottom layer of black hair. "Where's the bathroom?" She asked and I pointed her toward the door connected to my room. She walked towards it, but turned around to say, "Whatever is fine."

"I'm up for anything." I said as Cece thought for a bit.

"Why don't we try Little Miss Stakes? It's been forever since we've been there!" She took turns looking at me and Bullfrog. We both nodded in agreement. They soon headed to their own room, claiming they were going to go change and gussy up.

I walked over to the bathroom door and knocked. "Cassie, we're going out to eat in a bit. Would you mind if I took a quick shower, I smell like airplane."

Suddenly she opened the door and pulled me in. "How about we take a shower together?" She suggested, raising her eyebrow. She had changed her nose ring from a small diamond to a small hoop in the small time she's been in the bathroom. "Cassie, I'm not sure if th-" I started before she cut me off.

"Cas. Eli, cut it with the Cassie shit." She ordered me before delivering a few quick kisses to my neck.

"Cassi- Cas. I'm not sure it'd be such a great idea to get it on right before we go out with my parents." I stammered. It was hard to reject her offer, her kisses up and down my jawline were rough, yet very seductive. "Cas, seriously, we need to get ready." I tried again, slightly slinking away.

"Fine." She said angrily as she backed up and left the room to get her makeup bag. I let out a sigh and took off my clothes as I stepped into the shower. I turned on the hot water and relaxed as I heard her reenter the room. "You could wear a cute dress and curl your hair." I stated as I reached for he familiar shampoo.

"Ha. Yeah, as if I'm going to wear a dress. All my dresses are for clubbing, you want me to wear one of those?" She snorted as I heard her ruffle through her makeup bag.

I thought of all the dresses I've seen in her closet and immediately shuddered at the idea of her wearing any of them in a family-friendly restaurant. Perhaps her barely-there dresses wouldn't make such a great first impression on my family. "Okay, fair enough." I said as I took hold of the soap.

When I was finished showering, I wrapped a towel around my waste and stepped out of the shower. Cassie was putting her makeup back in her bag and turned around to give me a quick kiss on the edge of my lips, her red lipstick leaving an outline of her puckered lips. I brought a hand up to wipe the mark away.

I took a quick glance at her and had mixed feelings. I was glad she was remaining herself to meet my parents, yet I felt a bit annoyed that she didn't tone her makeup down even in the slightest. Her eyeliner circled her eyes and her pin-straight hair fell in front of a side of her face. "You look pretty hot." I told her before exiting to my room to throw on some clothes. She soon came scampering out to change too and soon we were waiting on the couch for Cece and Bullfrog.

They came downstairs and Bullfrog grabbed the keys as Cece led us out the door and turned around to tell Cassie, "Cas, honey, I can't wait to get to know you."


	2. Memories and Dinner

**I'd like to update this once a week, but I already have the next few chapters finished, so we'll just see. Things might get a bit confusing, so if you have any questions, feel free to ask me, I'll answer!**

**This is the first time I've written in first-person, so please bear with me.**

**Clare**

Now that he was on my mind, I couldn't stop the spiraling feeling of pain coursing through my body. This was definitely not how I thought my first night back at home would go, but of course, here I am, stuck reminiscing the past. Tonight was going to be a night of mourning what could have been.

I hung up the last shirt I had in the laundry basket and went over to my night stand. Opening the bottom drawer, I mentally prepared myself for a long night of tears and what-ifs. I reached for the small shoebox and set it on the bed while I took a seat at my headboard. Taking a deep breath, I reached for the shoebox and lifted the lid. As I threw the lid aside, fresh tears resided in my eyes.

The box was full of memories. Pictures were scattered within the box and there were notes and printed letters. I closed my eyes for a moment, to try to gather some peace as I reached to move aside pictures. My eyes opened and my fingers were shoving the pictures to a different side of the box. I knew the order of the stack of the pictures that lay on top of the item I was reaching for. I knew if I were to look at them, I'd see a happy Eli and Clare running in the water at the beach. I'd see Eli giving Clare a piggyback ride. I'd see Clare rolling her eyes as Eli was leaning in to kiss her, holding a mistletoe above her head. I'd see many smiles and kisses and hugs and shared laughter.

My fingers met a small fabric bag that lay underneath the recently shoved aside photos. I grabbed it and pulled it out. My shaking fingers found their way to the top of the bag and I pulled it open. I turned to bag upside down and gently shook until the small object hit the palm of my outstretched hand. I whimpered when the cool metal sunk into my skin.

I looked down and new tears fell down my cheeks. The small ring that was supposed to symbolize love lay in my palm. I still had mine, and he had his. I wondered what he did with his? Did he keep it stored away like I kept mine? Or maybe he threw his out? That thought brought up the question that was always on my mind, what did he do with my purity ring? Did he still wear it or did he throw it out too? I don't want it back. It's his, he rightfully deserves it. I just hope he still has it somewhere.

I shook my head, reminding myself to focus on the ring in my palm. When we broke up, I threw it at him. It was his, after all. He was the one who bought it. I tried to make him keep it, but he put it back in my hand, begging me to keep it. I had told him it wasn't mine anymore, we were breaking up, I had no right to keep it. He just looked at me, his eyes full of tears, telling me I earned it, there was no way he could return it or give it to anybody else, it was picked out for me.

That was the night that I regretted so much, but I didn't have enough energy to dwell on it because I felt my eyes getting heavier and I felt exhaustion rushing over me. Before I fell asleep, I stared down at my palm. At my ring.

At my engagement ring.

**Eli**

We were sitting at Little Miss Stakes, each of us taking an awkward sip of our drinks. It wasn't going well. I guess Bullfrog and Cece were expecting me to bring home a girl more like Clare. But hadn't they seen how awful that had turned out? Cassie was being blunt with them, she wasn't going to put out an act of who she was.

"So, Cas, Eli was saying you live with your sister in her apartment?" Cece tried again.

"Yeah. She's usually whoring around though, so we don't see much of each other, which is good. I am going to end up murdering that bitch, I swear." Cassie said angrily. "I have to pay half of rent, which is fucking ridiculous because I also have to buy the groceries, but if I don't, she'll kick me out." She said shrugging as she took another sip of her margarita.

Cece offered a fake smile towards her. She decided to call it quits with Cassie and directed her next question at me. "Have you been hanging out with Fiona recently? I haven't heard anything from you about her."

Cassie snorted and started laughing. "Oh God, that little bitch. As if we'd ever hang out with her! Her little snooty ass complaining all the time drives me insane!" She openly expressed her hatred for Fiona.

Cece looked at me, her eyes filled with concern and a bit of sadness. "Oh, that's too bad, I liked Fiona. Eli, why don't you ever hang out with her anymore?" She asked, making sure everybody knew she was only asking for my input.

"Um, well, Her and Cassie don't really get along..." I started explaining. "I actually met Cassie- I mean Cas, through Fiona. It was just after we got back from Winter break. I was eating with Fiona at the campus pub, listening to the bands playing. Fiona and Cas used to have French together and well..." I started to tell the story of how we met, but didn't exactly want to finish it. Luckily Cassie broke in, she picked up where I left off. "I was in an argument with some crazy bitch and we started going at it. She clawed my face, so I pulled at her hair and it got pretty violent. Eli came over and pulled me off the chick because it was pretty obvious I was winning."

I decided to continue telling the story. "And well Fiona told me she knew Cas and offered her to sit down with us and eat, so she did. And we just kind of hit it off." I ended there with a smile, but Cassie decided to keep telling the story. "Yeah, we ended up getting so smashed that I mistook Eli's ID for my own fake and we decided to head back to his dorm where things got very steamy. I woke up the next morning naked in his bed cuddled into his side, and I guess we just sort of became official from there on out." She said as she grabbed my hand. I offered an embarrassed smile.

My parents stared at us until Cece cleared her throat. "So, um, why don't you hang out with Fiona anymore?" She asked for the third time, actually interested in knowing why.

Cassie rolled her eyes. "She kept scolding Eli on his choice to be with me and kept bringing up that bitch that dumped him last year." She said with an annoyed tone in her voice.

Bullfrog started coughing and shared a looked with Cece. I knew that look, they were both offended that Cassie had just said something that cruel about Clare. I was even annoyed that she referred to her as a bitch, but I let it slide.

Our food came and interrupted the tension in the room. We remained silent while eating, except for a few statements about the food.

After dinner, we headed back home where I watched a movie with my parents. We asked Cassie if she'd like to join, but she refused, saying she'd rather update her blog. Before she headed upstairs, she asked where we kept our alcohol and Bullfrog lead her to the liquor cabinet, where she grabbed a bottle of tequila and a shot glass. She ran upstairs as Bullfrog warned her to be careful.

While watching the movie, I could feel their gazes on me. I knew what their thoughts consisted of. Thoughts of how they weren't impressed by Cassie. Thoughts about how she contrasted against Clare. Questions about what went wrong with me and Clare. Questions about why I chose somebody like Cassie.

I knew they'd keep up with the charade that they liked her. And I knew they'd still keep an open mind with her, but I knew they missed Clare. And they missed how I was when I was with Clare.

But I knew they mostly missed me and Clare together. One of the greatest tag teams there ever was.


	3. Day Out

**I didn't want to make Cassie somebody that was a cliché, predictable hated character, but that's kind of how she came out in this chapter. I was going more for an subtle character that got under your skin, but you just couldn't point out why she angered you so much, but I failed at that. Also, last night's episode pretty much killed me. Oh, my Eclare heart broke!**

**Clare**

About a week after I came home, Jake wanted to take me out to go do something, seeing as I spent the previous week sleeping, watching netflix, and reading the books that have been patiently waiting on the bookshelf.

"Come on Clare, get dressed, we're going out." Jake sauntered into my room and shoved my curtains aside so light came pouring in.

"Jake, it's too early." I groaned, shielding my eyes. My alarm read 10:14, which wasn't all that early, but I was surprised Jake was awake. I expected him to sleep until 2 every day, like he had when we were on Summer vacation in High School, I guess him working with Glen part-time forced him to be an early-riser.

"Oh, stop your whining! You haven't left this house since you walked in. Katie and I have a fun day planned, come on, you have 15 minutes until she arrives." He said as he ripped the blanket off of me, despite my low groans. Jake exited my room, shutting the door loudly as he left. It's been awhile since I've seen Katie. We weren't exactly the best of friends, but she was somebody I'd call if I needed help or was bored.

I went to the bathroom and started doing my usual morning routine. I saw the little notes I've written on the mirror with dry-erase markers and immediately started smiling. Zach and I had planned a day he would come over. Originally, he was supposed to come visit tomorrow, but his cousin was getting married and his parents were taking him on a vacation a few days after the wedding, so now he's coming in about 3 weeks if everything went as planned.

I emerged from the bathroom, heading towards my closet when I froze. I didn't know what today had in store, so I wasn't sure how to dress. Jake was wearing a basic plaid shirt with the sleeves rolled up and some shorts, so I decided being casual was my best bet.

I hastily threw on my mid-thigh length shorts and loose white white tank top. As I headed towards my door to go downstairs, I grabbed an infinity scarf and quickly wrapped it around my neck.

"Tisk, tisk, little miss Edwards, we're ready to go, and yet here you are, still getting ready." Jake teased me as he wove his arm around Katie's back and they both chuckled at me still putting my sandals on.

"Shut it, Jake. I'm starving. Are we eating out somewhere or can I grab some toast?" I asked before I smiled towards Katie, who returned it, exchanging a few greetings.

"We're eating out." He said and grabbed his keys off the counter while I quickly turned around to get my wallet. "Clare, come on, I'm paying for it all. Leggo!" He cheered as he directed Katie out the door. I hesitantly followed, I didn't want him to have to pay for me.

Once in the car, Katie kept laughing at Jake as she changed the music. I patiently waited in the back seat to find out our first destination, which happened to be The Dot. How could I have expected anything else? We ordered our brunch and spent the hour catching up and laughing.

"Thank you for the brunch, Jake." I said as we stood to leave.

"No problem. Our next destination awaits!" He said as he grabbed Katie's hand to lead her back to the car.

It was a pretty short drive, but still long enough for them to interrogate me. "So Clare, I've heard about this Zachary fellow." Katie started and I internally rolled my eyes. "You have sex yet?" She questioned and I felt my cheeks burn up.

"Oh, dear God, I do NOT want to know this!" Jake saved me. Over the years, we had developed a really good sibling relationship and we both cringe of the days when we were dating.

"Oh my God! You so have!" Katie called turning back to look at me after my moment of shifting eyes and awkward silence. "Your cheeks give you away!" She called at me. The truth was, I hadn't fully slept with Zach yet. We've fooled around and have gotten close, but we haven't even been together for a year, so I was hesitant on going any further with him.

"Katie, I swear I haven't. That was just an awkward question." I retorted looking up at her. She replied with an 'Uh-huh' and I rolled my eyes.

Luckily, we had pulled into a parking lot. I looked out the window and realized where we were, at a lasertag arena.

I was tired after our little match, which happened to be us three against a birthday party for a boy turning 7. We lost.

After lasertag, Jake and Katie dragged me around to a putt-putt golf course where they acted all cutesy. Although I wasn't a fan of pda, they did look very cute and I started regretting how Zach and I never acted coupley in public. It wasn't necessarily because I didn't like pda, I would have loved to hold his hand as we walked around the park and share pecks with him while we were getting ice cream, but he seemed to prefer physical contact behind closed doors only.

Our day continued for a few more hours that contained lunch and bowling. It was fun, but I couldn't help but feel like a third-wheel. After bowling, we went back home where we all collapsed on the couch and watched a few stupid reality shows where we spent a majority of the time making snide remarks about the people.

"Hey, we should swimming!" Katie exclaimed as the people in show were shown floating in their large pools.

"Dude, yes! Seriously, let's go!" Jake stood up and started running upstairs to get his swim trunks.

"You coming, Clare?" Katie asked as I remained on the couch.

"Um, I'm really tired. You guys can go, I think I'll just stay here, thanks though." I smiled at her and she returned it before Jake came rushing downstairs and they exited the house.

After channel surfing and finding absolutely nothing to pique my interest, I decided a nice walk down to The Dot to get some food before mom and Glen came home would be relaxing.

I walked outside and the summer breeze felt soothing on my warm body. I pulled my up and tied it so the breeze could gently tickle my neck as I walked down the street.

**Eli**

I decided to show Cassie around the town a bit tonight., she'd only been driven around when we went out to eat.

We had walked the distance from my house to The Dot, where we enjoyed burgers and fries. The whole meal, she had been texting her previous roommate, Ashlynn. Cassie continued to text her as we left the restaurant. She agreed to let me show her around town a bit.

We went out tonight because Cassie had a small argument with Cece, which led to a lot of tension in the house. Cassie was smoking and decided to stub her cigarette against the coffee table, which had been a wedding gift to my parents. Cece had dropped her usual calm state and started panicking, grabbing cleaning supplies and furiously rubbing at the burn mark. Cassie had offered a small apology, but told Cece she needed to pull the stick out of her ass. Cece kept cleaning, but muttered a few offensive phrases directed at Cassie. I had quickly grabbed Cassie and pulled her out the door before remarks flew out of her mouth.

"Sorry about Cece, she's just kind of..." I started, but didn't know how to finish it.

"It was a damn coffee table!" Cassie replied, rolling her eyes.

"Yeah, but it was given to my parents as a wedding present, from Bullfrog's mom. It had taken her up until the wedding to finally accept and start liking Cece, so that table means a lot to her." I informed her.

"Oh, so maybe Cece will start liking me once you pop the question?" She asked raising an eyebrow at me.

"Perhaps." I replied simply. I wasn't going to be that naïve and believe Cece would take a liking to Cassie if I asked her to marry me. Knowing Cece, she'd fight my choice.

Cassie wanted to get married, which is something I didn't really expect when we started going out. She claimed she wants to be somebody that her parents never were. She wants to raise children while she's in a good relationship, so they don't end up as fucked up as she is. She said her parents were always fighting and were never in a stable relationship, and that's why her and her sister are so screwed up, they never had a sense of stability.

I grabbed her hand in mine as we walked down the dim street and she continued to text with her other hand. We rounded a corner and my eyes slightly widened.

And I made eye contact with somebody.

We both stared at each other silently as we stood still.

My mouth slowly opened and I head my suddenly dry voice croak out.

"Clare?"


	4. There's About To Be A What?

**Well, we get to see Cassie in action. Thanks for all the feed back! It's been so wonderful to read! Every time I get a review, it's so hard for me to not publish the next chapter.**

**Eli**

I called her name and that seemed to pique Cassie's attention. Cassie's nose and chin suddenly struck high up in the air and I could feel the smirk that was plastered on her face.

"Long time, no see." I told her, trying to sound casual. We hadn't spoken to each other in well over a year. She seemed to delete her facerange account a matter of days after we broke up and I never received a text, call, or message from her. Although I never sent her anything either. That's one of my biggest regrets. I called her almost every half hour the first week after we split, but eventually got tired when she never replied, and then I had to return to New York.

She offered a small smile that didn't reach her eyes. "Yeah, tell me about it." She spoke quietly, turning her attention to Cassie.

**Clare**

"This is Cassie." Eli said nodding his head to the girl he was holding hands with after he saw me starring at her.

"It's Cas." She quickly corrected him. She was looking me up and down and smirking. It wasn't a warm smirk that Eli would always somehow manage to deliver, it was a teasing, mocking smirk. I suddenly realized they were holding hands and it finally clicked that yes, they were dating. They were only dating, right? I quickly looked to Eli's left hand that was hanging by his side while his right hand captured Cas's hand. To my relief, there was no ring on his ring finger. My eyes caught something else though. They caught what was on his middle finger. It was his engagement ring.

Why was he still wearing it?

"She's my, um, my girlfriend." My eyes quickly looked back up to Eli, his voice making his nervousness clear.

I gave them another small smile that took all my will to create. This wasn't how I should have seen him after such a long time without communication. He wasn't supposed to have moved on. I knew he had full rights to date other people, after all, I had a new boyfriend, but it felt so strange. He replaced me.

All the feelings he once had for me, he now had for her.

I was simply jealous and hurt.

"How's NYU?" I asked with a trembling voice.

"It's good. I really like it there. I think you would have liked it too." He said as he tried to meet my eyes. Looking back, I knew I would have liked it. I would have loved the culture. I would have loved staying with Eli. I would have loved moving into a small apartment my fiance until we got married. I would have loved the life I could have had if only I would have followed him to NYU.

The distance. It took its toll on us. That's one of the reasons we fell apart.

"Yeah, but UT is nice. I've meet some really cool people." I told him, trying to stop thinking of what could have been.

"UT?" I heard a scoffing voice. I looked over towards Cas and gave her a questioning look. "You go to UT? Seriously? Out of all schools, you chose that one?" She said as she laughed. Eli gave her a chastening look.

"Yeah, I chose UT. It has a decent Journalism program and it's close to home. What's the matter with that?" I asked her raising an eyebrow.

"Oh, nothing I guess." She replied after seeing Eli shake his head at her.

"Any new friends I should meet, Clare? I have to make sure they aren't troublemakers." Eli changed the subject as he lightly chuckled. We both knew what he was hinting at. We both knew he was wondering if I had a new boyfriend. If I had replaced him.

"Yeah. There's my roommate, Natalie, she's really sarcastic, you'd like her." I told him and we both laughed. Cas stood their with her ever-present smirk. "And her best friend, Emily, who is studying international business. There's also Zach, he's... he's Zach." I giggled while talking about Zach, there was no easy way to describe him.

"Oh, Zach?" Eli questioned, hinting at me to tell him more.

**Eli**

"Yeah, he's kind of my, um boyfriend." She said as she slightly looked down. I gave her a fake smile.

"Ha. Okay." I heard Cassie scoff. Clare and I both turned our heads to her and starred. "What?" we both questioned her at the same time.

"Seriously. You're just saying that to make Eli jealous. Like honestly. You expect us to believe that? Hit the gym a bit and maybe we'll actually believe you." Cassie told her as our jaws fell and I let go of Cassie's hand. Clare had lost weight since the last time I had seen her, but she wasn't even overweight while we were dating. She just wasn't as skinny as Cassie, and if somebody wasn't as skinny as Cassie, she declared them as overweight. I felt my blood boiling and I turned to look at Clare. Her expression broke my heart. Her face just fell, she was always self-conscious.

"Cassie, it's time to go. I'm so sorry, Clare." I apologized with all my heart as I forcefully grabbed Cassie's arm and started dragging her smirking face away. I looked back and saw Clare just standing there, starring at us. She had a determined look on her face. She wanted to say something, I knew it, but I didn't think she actually would.

**Clare**

I looked at them speeding away and saw Eli look back at me. Cas's comment was indeed hurtful, but I've had my share of being teased. I've dealt with the whole caf laughing at me after I stood at the microphone, singing. That was back when I wore my uniform. I was done with the days of being laughed at and mocked. I was done with letting people get away with it.

"You know what?" I yelled towards her, catching her attention as she turned around to smirk at me. "I may not look as fake as you do, but at least I'm honest, with myself, and everybody else." I told as she just laughed.

"Fake? Please do share how I'm fake." She demanded with a humorous tone.

"Hm, well your hair is fried from being died so much and all the straightening you do it. Your face is covered in so much makeup that you probably have to chisel it all every night. Don't even think I missed your ironic T-shirt. By the way, being a hipster is so mainstream." I called out to her as she broke from Eli's grasp and started walking towards me, with Eli chasing after her.

"Well if I were you, I think applying a lot more makeup would do a favor for everybody who has to look at you. And no, I'm not a hipster. I hate hipsters." She let me know that as she inched closer.

"Oh, what a typical thing a hipster would say.' I mumbled out.

"Wow. I'm more real than you are. You act so sweet and innocent, but your comments are just proving you to be a bitch. And yeah, I know why you broke up with Eli. You thought you were too good for him, right? You thought he was inferior .Oh, how wrong you were. You aren't better than anybody. Everybody is better than you. You were probably whoring around with your step-brother while dating Eli, huh? Yeah, I heard that story. Incest? That's disgusting. You're disgusting." She yelled at me as I looked at Eli, wondering if he had told her about me and Jake.

"Look, that is definitely NOT why Eli and I broke up. That doesn't even concern you, okay? It wasn't an easy thing! And yes, I dated somebody who then turned into my step-brother. We broke up after our parents got married. What did Eli tell you?" I questioned her, looking up at Eli.

"It was Fiona..." Eli mumbled starring at me. He looked like he was about ready to cry.

Cas broke back in. "You need to get your ugly ass out of here. Can't you see he's moved on? To someone better." She told me with venom in her voice.

Eli's eyes were rimmed with tears and anger after Cas's last comment. I could tell the anger that coursed through his body, it was obvious by glancing at him. He was opening his mouth to yell something at her, but I was faster.

"Oh my God, you are so conceited! Do you really think you're better than me? Because I have news for you- you are a bitch." I told her and saw her fist clench and she looked like she was ready to hit me.

"Hit me, I dare you." I said as I straightened up and lifted my chin up, bracing for her hand to meet my cheek.

I heard her leap at me and I prepared for the impact, but it never came. There was a noise of struggling, so I opened my eyes to see that Eli had a grip on her from behind, and he was lifting her, pulling her away.

"I am so sorry, Clare. It wasn't supposed to be like this." He told me with a sad face as he kept pulling her off in the direction of his house.

"If you're so much better than me, then how come I have him and you don't ?!" She yelled at me as Eli struggled to pull her out of view.

Her remark rang in my head. Why _does _she have him? What does she have to offer that I didn't? Why did he fall for a girl like him? If this is what he wanted, then good thing we broke up, because I knew I was nothing like her. And thank God for that.

I turned around and started walking home as tears fell from my eyes. After the fight, I wasn't hungry for dinner anymore. Eli's words kept popping into my head and I had to agree with him.

_It wasn't supposed to be like this._


	5. Let's Go Out!

**Eli**

I burst through the front door. I was fuming. Cassie came in walking after me and followed me silently up the stairs to my room. I walked over to my bed and grabbed a pillow and a blanket that lay on the ground. "You can sleep in here tonight, I'll go on the couch." I monotonously told her before I shut the door behind me.

I put the things on the couch and looked up to the clock near the tv. It was only 7.

"Oh, sweetie, what are you doing down here?" Cece asked as she walked out of the kitchen with a bowl of popcorn.

"Getting ready for bed." I said with clenched teeth. I was still seething.

"But it's only 7." She told me with confusion drawn on her face.

"Yeah, I know." I simply replied as I spread the blanket out and took off my shoes.

"Is there something you want to talk about? I could get Bullfrog if you'd rather talk to him." She said consolingly as she set the popcorn bowl on the coffee table, right over the burn mark.

"I'm fine. I just need some rest and quiet." I replied as I plopped on the couch.

"Have you taken your pills today?" She asked sitting next to me.

"Yes. It's just, well, we ran into Clare today and, um, Cassie got into a fight with her." I admitted exasperatingly as I leaned my head back and closed my eyes.

"That's not good. What happened? Is Clare okay?" I felt Cece shift a bit on the couch, turning to me. Normally, I would have asked why she was more concerned about Clare than my girlfriend, but I was pissed at Cassie. And I knew My parents loved Clare, I don't think they will ever stop caring about her.

"No, it's not good. There were words exchanged, but no physical contact. A punch was about to be delivered, but I yanked Cassie away and dragged her back here, and here we are." I told her, trying to avoid as many details as I could.

We sat there for a minute, nearly silent. The only sounds were the clock ticking and muffled footsteps from above. Cece leaned forward and reclaimed the popcorn bowl as she stood up. "By any chance, you wouldn't like to work at the station this summer, would you?" She asked me as she straightened out her jeans.

"No." I said shaking my head. I worked at the radio station with Bullfrog once a few years ago and now, every summer, they asked me if I wanted to again. The answer was always no. I had wanted to spend every free second with Clare. And last summer, when I was single, I had wanted to spend every second mourning or sleeping. Or hanging out with Adam. Which reminded me, I hadn't talked to Adam yet.

I grabbed my phone and sent him a quick text, wondering if he wanted to go out somewhere tonight. After I sent it and was waiting for a reply, I couldn't help but look through my contacts until I came across the familiar name.

Clare Edwards.

After we had gotten engaged, I changed her last name to Goldsworthy, but sometime after the break up, I changed it back. I had wanted to delete her number, but I couldn't bring myself to actually do it. Besides, I have it memorized.

I felt bad. I felt sorry. So I decided a quick text wouldn't hurt. I quickly typed out a message. I knew it was probably the lamest thing I have ever sent anybody, but I didn't know what to say. Just a short statement would have to suffice.

_I'm so sorry._

I set my phone down on the couch's armrest and turned the tv on. I heard my phone buzzing and grabbed it. Excitement and happiness rushed through my body, something that hadn't happened to me for a long time. I unlocked my screen and my excitement died when I read the name. It was Adam. I don't know why, but I really thought Clare was going to reply, but I don't blame her. I wouldn't want to talk to an ex if their new partner yelled at me.

Adam was excited and decided we should go to a club. I replied to him, telling him that sounded like fun .

I quickly grabbed the keys to Cece's car, knowing she wouldn't mind, and I headed out after I wrote her a short note on a napkin. As I sat down in the driver's seat, I sent Cassie a quick text.

_I'm going out, be back later. _

**Clare**

After an hour of walking home and lounging at the park, I made it up to my room. My mom and Glen muttered their hellos to me and I muttered them back.

In my room, I closed the door and turned on my laptop. Hopefully Zach would be able to skype tonight to distract me. This Cas chick annoyed me, but I wasn't sure if it was her attitude, demeanor, or just the fact that she was dating Eli. Actually, I was sure. It was all three.

My laptop started up and changed into pajamas. Once I heard the noise of it logging in, I sat down on my bed and brought it into my lap. I opened up skype and smiled because Zach was on. Without giving him warning, I video called him and thankfully, he answered.

"Hey! I've missed you!" He told me as I put in ear buds. The sound and video were lagging and bad quality, but I was just excited to see him.

"I've missed you too!" I told him as I took my ponytail down.

"Hey, I'd really love to talk and all, but I have to get going. We're leaving for the wedding tomorrow morning and I'm not even packed. We can talk tomorrow though. I love you." He told me as my face fell a bit.

"Oh, yeah, whatever. Some other time, then." I told him as he leaned in to kiss the camera and I did the same. It was lame, but it was the only affection we could give through the camera. He smiled at me before his screen went black. I shut my laptop and set it on my desk, where I noticed my phone was laying too. There was a notification blinking, so I unlocked the screen and saw I had a new message from a number.

I knew that number. Even though I deleted it from my phone, it was burned into my brain.

Eli had texted me.

I opened it up, feeling my heart speed. It said that he was sorry and I smiled at the gesture. It was nice to know that he hadn't fully taken her side and it was nice to know he still knew my number. Suddenly, a new alert blocked my view of the message and I saw that Alli had sent me a text.

_Let's go out tonight!_

I had been talking to Alli a lot, but we hadn't hung out in such a long time. I was already in my pajamas and I was too lazy to change out of them, so I told her now wasn't the best time, but we could tomorrow. She immediately replied.

_I'm not taking any of your bullshit. It's a Friday night, we're going out! I'll be over in 10 min, but don't change yet! _

I sighed, but agreed. I knew fighting would only result in her winning, so why waste the time?

Ten minutes later, I heard my mom tell me that Alli was here, and seconds later, I heard Alli knock on my door before I saw her enter. We both went to go hug each other.

"Oh God, I haven't seen you in person in such a long time!" She said as she hugged me tighter. We had seen each other on Winter Break, which was about six months ago.

"Seriously! I'd say we need to catch up, but since we talk to each other every day..." I laughed as we realized how much we still keep in touch. We pulled away and I looked down at her outfit, it was a pink sparkly cocktail dress and I sighed. Alli was taking us to a club or to a party, both of which I wasn't in the mood for.

"Oh, come on Clare-Bear, it'll be fun!" Alli said as she sensed my emotions. "But first, let's get you dressed up!" She pulled me into my closet and we rummaged through my clothes. I had a few party dresses in the back of my closet because Alli would always make me buy them when we went shopping. I had put them into good use too, Alli used to take me out all the time and I'd be forced to wear one of them.

She put me into a black one-shoulder dress, where I didn't feel totally comfortable, but I was used to this dress, it was actually my favorite. She did my makeup and hair, puling it up into a neat side bun. Pulling out my shoe bin, she reached for a pair of sparkly, black pumps. These were my only party shoes, seeing as they went with pretty much any dress.

"Alli, I swear. I already got in one fight today, I can get into another." I said as she tried to put bright red lipstick on me.

"Oh my God, what?" She asked me as she pulled me to sit on my bed. I sighed and told her about my encounter with Eli and his girlfriend.

"Wow, holy shit." She said with wide eyes after I finished the story. I just nodded my head. "Okay, drinks are on me tonight." She stated as she brought me in for a quick hug. She and I both knew I wasn't a big drinker, but I would let loose every now and then, and tonight was no exception. The run-in with Eli and Cas today was mentally exhausting, so a drink or two would be on the menu tonight.

We called a cab, planning that neither of us would be exactly fine to drive back home.


	6. Strike the Night

**So I want to finish this story before this season ends, so I might start uploading new chapters twice a week. I'm not sure how long this is going to be, but I'm just getting started. I'll probably start making each chapter longer to fit more in, so let me know if you like the longer chapters, or find them too boring. Thanks for letting me borrow your time! **

**Eli**

After I drove to Adam's house, we sat in his basement for half an hour talking with Drew and Bianca. They were technically married, they had the legal documents to prove it, but they hadn't had a wedding yet. They decided to wait until they were both finished with school and had enough money to have a great ceremony. Drew knew Bianca deserved the best wedding possible after all she had been through in her teen years, and Bianca decided that Drew should wait until all his family could come, so he could have a big ceremony surrounded by his friends and family like he had always wanted.

Having invited the couple out to the club with us, only to have them decline, Adam and I called a cab. We were told there would be a taxi arriving at Adam's house in about 15 minutes.

"Where's the girlfriend tonight?" Adam asked, propping his feet up on a coffee table. "Cassi-o is a no-go?" He questioned as he chuckled at me. Adam had met Cassie once during Spring Break. It was a very short encounter. We were at a party and we were wasted, so naturally, honest words came out and people had been offended. Although the next morning, none of us could remember who had said what to whom.

"She's at my house. I decided I needed a night separate from her." I nonchalantly shrugged towards him. He threw a questioning eyebrow raise at me. "What? Do you _want_ her to be here?" I asked a bit irritated.

"No. I'm not a huge fan of her, no offense." Adam quickly told me.

"Neither is Clare." I mumbled under my breath, thinking he hadn't heard me, but of course, he had.

"What?! You introduced her to Clare?! What happened? Why doesn't Clare like her? Clare likes everyone! Am I going to get the answer to why Cassie isn't here with us tonight?!" Adam asked breathlessly. "Answer me, emo boy!"

"Adam! Slow down!" I interrupted his frenzy, rolling my eyes. We still had time before the taxi came, so I decided to share the details of this evening's encounter with him. As I explained everything, I saw Adam's eyes widen, then slant, filled with bewilderment and anger. The story reached the end and I sighed, dropping my shoulders.

"Holy. Shit." Was all that Adam could say. "Dude. Cassie is crazy." Adam shared with me. I closed my eyes, not wanting to discuss this anymore. I didn't want to have to chose a side, especially since I knew I wouldn't pick Cassie's side, who I was supposed to support. Luckily, headlights passing on the street interrupted us as we found our taxi pulling up on the curb. We quickly got up and left through the basement door.

The ride wasn't all that long, but it seemed to drag on because Adam wouldn't stop pestering me about my story.

"Did you apologize to Clare? What'd you say to Cassie? Does she even know why you and Clare broke up?" He kept bugging me.

"Adam, I already told you. Yes, I apologized as I was leaving, I even texted her earlier. I barely talked to Cassie, I was too upset. And no, she barely knows anything about me and Clare, why should she? That's all in the past. Now can we please stop talking about this? I haven't seen you in weeks, what's been up in the world of Adam?" I answered his questions and changed into a happier tone while asking the last question.

"Eli, you know things have been boring. That's why I'm so interested in your drama." He smirked at me and I couldn't help but smirk back and nudge his shoulder. "But seriously, tonight is going to be so awesome! But hopefully, I won't remember any of it." Adam cheered, and I chuckled. Of course, Adam was already planning on getting wasted. In all honesty, I was sort of hoping to drink until I could feel my liver groan.

We arrived at the club and were early enough so we didn't have to wait all that long in line. After we were admitted in, we made a bee-line straight for the bar, each of us ordering a shot of whiskey. I crinkled my nose as the burning sensation traveled down my throat. We then asked for a bottle of beer and took our seats at the bar.

"We going dancing tonight?" Adam asked me as I took a drink from the bottle.

"You can if you want, but don't sign me up as your dancing partner." I teased him as he stuck his tongue out at me. I wasn't in the mood to dance, besides, would Cassie consider that unfaithful of me? Maybe if I was too drunk to remember, I could get away with it. I took another gulp of my drink and looked around, trying to find somebody who I would be able to tolerate for at least one annoying main-stream song. There were plenty of single girls dancing with their friends, considering most people at clubs were single and looking for a hookup, but they were all yelling and being obnoxious. Maybe somebody decent would show up as it got later.

"See that blonde in that pink shirt? With the sparkly shorts?" Adam yelled towards me over the music.

"Yeah, that really narrows it down." I rolled my eyes at him, seeing about four blonde girls with sparkly shorts and a pink top.

"Shut it, smart-ass. She's twerking with her friend." Adam shouted as he raised his bottle and took a big gulp.

"Wow, that really helped me out, thanks. Because you know, there's only one girl twerking out there." I replied sarcastically, just to frustrate him.

"You are such an asshole. She's by that girl with the blue dress." Adam said, pointing at a small cluster of girls laughing and dancing together.

"What about her?" I asked, hoping Adam didn't want to dance with them. I'd put my foot down. No way was I going to dance with _that _group.

"She's Leslie, you know, my ex." Adam said calmly as he took another swig of beer. Leslie and Adam had dated for about a month, I had never seen her in person, but Adam would always tell me about her and send me lots of pictures. Their breakup had apparently been pretty smooth. Leslie was high-strung and she couldn't handle laid-back Adam. He wasn't upset though, she was starting to get on his nerves, so he was thankful she had ended it before he had to.

"So you want to go dance with her and win her back?" I teased him and saw his eyes widen as he shouted out no. "Calm down. I was only kidding." I laughed at him as I ordered another beverage.

After another round of beer and laughing at old stories with Adam, a few girls approached us. "Oh my God, Adam! How's it been?!" Leslie shouted as she gave him an awkward hug. "You guys look really bored sitting here, maybe you want to come up and dance with us? My friend Addie thinks your friend is really cute." she smiled at me.

"Oh, no. We're fine, really. Besides, Eli has a girlfriend, and he'd hate to dance with anybody but her. Thanks for the offer, though." Adam shooed them away quickly. "Sorry man, I just don't think it'd be best to get involved with her again." Adam apologized to me.

"Thanks for saving me. They didn't look like the best dance partners." I raised my bottle and Adam clinked glasses with me and we started chugging them, trying to see who could finish theirs first.

**Clare**

Alli and I ended up waiting in line for about 15 minutes. We knew the club wasn't really that full, the bouncers liked to make it seem that way, in order to make it look more popular, somehow attracting more customers.

We entered the doors and I could immediately feel the bass pumping in my heart and the flashing lights blinded me momentarily. We went around the sweaty dance floor and found a bar. Alli ordered some foo-foo drink as I got a long island iced tea. We started drinking and I knew this glass would be all I needed for tonight. I wasn't a big drinker, so I started feeling tipsy before the drink was even half gone. Alli was already on her second drink while I still had about 1/3 to go. I didn't want to drink so fast, but I really wanted to let loose and let the fun begin, so I gave in when Alli started cheering for me to chug to rest of my drink.

Pretty soon, I was with Alli out on the dance floor. I was drunk. We were laughing and having fun, despite being surrounded by sweaty people and stuck listening to overplayed music. Before I knew what was going on, Alli had found two men for us to dance with. Well, calling them men was pushing it. They looked to be 19 and even though they weren't that much younger than us, their constant flirting made them seem even more immature.

The boy I was dancing with was named Tyler, and I was having fun with him. "I'm such a bad person.," I slurred a bit, then laughed at how drunk I must be. Tyler laughed and looked at me with a questioning expression. "My boyfriend is at a wedding with his family and I'm dancing with strangers!" I yelled out above the music then started laughing again," I mean he's a guest at the wedding! It's not like he's the one getting married!"

I continued to dance with Tyler, his friend, and Alli. We were all laughing and they seemed to be nice. Everything was going great until Tyler started getting too comfortable with me. I felt his hand lower to my butt as the other caressed my side. Without drawing attention to how uncomfortable I was, I brought the hand that was resting on my butt back up to my back. He respected me and we fell into a comfortable silence.

After another song, my throat felt dry and I needed water. So, I grabbed Alli's arm and after letting the boys know we'd be right back, I pulled her over in the direction of the bar so we could get a drink.

**Eli**

"Seriously, what time should we go back home? It's already 10:30." Adam asked as he checked his phone for the time. We had been here for about two hours doing nothing but exchanging stories and drinking. It had been a great night so far. I missed guy's night with Adam. That was yet another thing NYU had ruined for me.

Seeing Adam quickly reply to a text, I realized I hadn't checked my phone all night. Pulling my phone out of my back pocket, I unlocked it and saw I had some new messages from Cassie, all of them were her questioning where I was. Then a new message popped up with a picture attached to it. As the picture loaded, I read the caption. _Come home soon. _Within a second, the picture loaded, revealing an exposed Cassie. I let out a breath before quickly locking my screen, embarrassed that anybody could have peeked over my shoulder and saw it.

"Dude, what was it?" Adam questioned, having seen my reaction. I shook my head, indicating I wasn't going to let him in on what had been sent to me. "Oh, come on, unless you want me to steal your phone and take a look myself." He taunted. I shook my head, almost daring him to try taking my phone. "Elijah, you know I have ways of getting your phone. You better tell me unless you want me to get you so drunk you black out so I can snatch our phone from you." He threatened and I knew he wasn't lying. It wouldn't be exactly hard to buy me a few more drinks and make a grab for my phone.

"Fine. It was Cassie. She sent me a picture of... you know." I told Adam, looking down while a blush took form on my cheeks.

"Is Eli Goldsworthy Blushing?! Because his girlfriend sent him some nudes?!" Adam called out loudly, announcing to anybody near us what had just happened. I glared at him and mumbled for him to shut it. "You could be at home, getting some action, but instead you're here, with me, getting drunk at a crowded club. Man, you need to sort out your priorities." Adam laughed.

"Look, even if I was at home right now, I'd be on the couch ignoring Cassie. Do you not recall what she said to Clare?" I shot at him while he put his hands up in surrender. "I'll be right back, I have to go to the bathroom." I said, standing up from my stool. Adam smirked and gave me an acknowledging look.

"Oh, get your mind out of the gutter. No. I have to pee." I clarified to him while I headed off towards the sketchy club bathrooms to pee.

**Clare**

As we emerged from the crowd, I took in a deep breath, which seemed almost clean compared to the humid air amidst the crowd.

I pulled her over to the bar and ordered a small cup of water. The bartender handed me my water and I emptied the cup with one big gulp. I thanked him and handed the cup back. I took a deep breath and turned around, intending on going back into the crazy group of people, but my eyes caught on somebody sitting right to my side. "Adam!" I screamed and bent down to hug him.

"Finally, took you long enough to spot me." he said as he stood up and greeted us.

"It's been for-ever! I miss you so much! Oh my God, how has everything been? You know what, never mind that, we should hang out and then you can tell me all about life! How about a sleepover tonight?! No wait, Zach wouldn't be too happy about that." I slurred everything out as fast as I could and laughed at Adam's bewildered expression.

"Woah Clare, take a breath. Are you okay? You seem kind of..." Adam trailed off.

"I know, I know, I might be a liiiittle drunk right now." I finished the sentence for him and gave him another hug. "Do you remember Alli? She took me out tonight. We're having fun." I told him as I yanked Alli closer and she gave a small wave towards Adam. "Why are you here alone, Adam? Are you lonely? You can dance with me if you'd like." I told him as Alli headed back to boys we were dancing with.

"Oh, no. I'm, um, here with Eli." Adam told me and I exasperatedly rolled my eyes.

"Is Cassie here too? Did you hear what that bitch said to me?! I have some more words for her to hear, let me at her." I shouted over the music as I looked around for Eli and Cassie.

"Woah, slow down tiger. Eli's angry about what Cassie said, so he came here with me to get away from her for a bit." He told me.

"She was so mean to me Adam! I went home and cried! Why was she so mean?" I asked him with a pouty face.

"You know what, Clare, why don't we just get you home?" Adam said as he put a hand on my arm, helping steady me.

"But Adaaam, I'm fine! It's not like you haven't seen me drunk before!" I whined to him. I had been drunk with Adam and Eli plenty of times.

"Yes, but Eli was always there to make sure you were safe. So let's just get you home, okay?" He said as he pulled out his phone and talked to what sounded like a taxi driver.

**Eli**

I walked out of the dingy bathroom and noticed Adam was holding on the phone, holding onto a girl who I automatically recognized as Clare. My breath hitched for a moment as I stopped walking. I had seen her backside enough to become familiar with it.

Deciding it'd be best to face her, I continued my journey towards what used to be 2/3 of the misfits.

"Eli, I'm calling us a taxi. We're gonna take Clare and Alli home. Can you watch her while I go fetch Alli?" Adam asked as soon as he hung up the phone.

Clare turned towards me as Adam went off to find Alli. "Eliii! I haven't seen you in hours!" She giggled as she gave me a hug. I realized she was drunk. "Eli, why was your girlfriend so mean to me? Does she hate me?" Clare slurred out and started rocking a bit. I reached a hand out to make sure she didn't fall.

"Oh, she doesn't hate you Clare. She's like that to everybody. She's just jealous that we used to date." I told her, frantically searching for Adam with my eyes. I used to love drunk Clare, back when we were together. But now that she was upset with me and Cassie, I was afraid about what would come out of her mouth.

"But she shouldn't be jealous because you love her now. If anything, I should be the jealous one! I was so happy when I saw your text, Eli." She told me. I started feeling guilty. I knew Clare was so honest whenever she was drunk, and even though I was happy she was sharing this information with me, I felt bad knowing that sober Clare probably wouldn't want me to hear this.

Adam came over, saving me, as he dragged Alli behind him. We headed towards to taxi and all piled in. Clare sat in the seat next to me rested her head on my shoulder, stating how tired she was. She drifted off to sleep and we decided that she would stay the night at Alli's house and we'd drop them off first.

When we stopped at Alli's house, I carried Clare out of the car and into the Bhandari residence. I carried her up the stairs and laid her down on Alli's bed, while Alli went to go change into pajamas.

I looked down at Clare's peaceful body and knew I shouldn't do what I was about to do. But instinct took over, and against my better judgment, I leaned down and planted a soft kiss on her forehead. "Goodnight, Clare-Bear." I whispered before I headed back to the taxi so I could spend the night at Adam's.


	7. Waking Up

**This is mainly just a filler chapter, but hopefully it's as enjoyable.**

**Clare**

I woke up the next morning to a soft bed. A small dent gave away the person laying next to me. I immediately opened my eyes and was greeted with a light pink wall with purple decorations adorning it. Alli's room. I rolled over slowly and saw the dark haired girl with her eyes shut and her mouth slightly ajar. Noticing I was in her pajamas, I smiled. In the past, it had always been me who was taking care of Alli after a party, but it was nice to know that she did the same for me.

I tried sitting up so I could use the restroom, but a pounding feeling occupied my head. Great. A hangover. I put my head back down and sighed, pinching the bridge of my nose with my thumb and index finger. The pain wasn't subsiding, so I involuntarily let out a groan. It was loud enough to wake the sleeping beauty next to me.

"Ugh, Clare, what a pleasant wakeup call.," Alli groaned out. I could tell she was slightly hungover too. I mumbled a quiet apology and she dismissed it. "It's fine. I'll go get some Advil.," She said as she stretched and left the room.

A minute later, she came back upstairs with a pill bottle and two glasses of water. I sat up as she handed me a glass and shook out two pills. Swallowing the pills, I urged them to be instantly be effective.

"I'm going to take a short shower, you can rest for a moment, then you can hop in, alright?" Alli said when she finished her dose. I gave her a thumbs up and slowly leaned back to rest my head on a pillow. As soon as I heard the water start running, I shut my eyes and rested for a few minutes.

"You can go get ready. I'll make some pancakes. Are you feeling any better?" Alli asked as she put her hand against my forehead. I gave a quick smile to assure her I was fine and walked into the bathroom while she headed down the stairs.

After having a quick shower and brushing my teeth with my old toothbrush that resided in her bathroom, I threw on a pair of Alli's sweatpants and a hoodie. We borrowed each others comfy clothes a lot, so she'd be fine with it and I'd return them in a few days.

Heading down the stairs, I happily noticed my headache had lightened up a considerable amount. I wasn't one hundred percent, but I'd take whatever I could get.

"Want milk or orange juice?" Alli asked as I took a seat at the table.

"Um, milk's fine, thanks. Need help?" I offered as Alli poured me my glass of milk and tended to the pancakes on the stove.

"I've got it, Clare. You had a rough night last night.," she sympathetically told me as she flipped a pancake over and sat down across from me.

"You remember it? I just have odd parts floating around my brain." I told her as I took a sip of milk. "Care to fill me in?"

"Well, you surely remember your encounter with Eli and his girlfriend, right?"

"Yes, Alli. I do recall that. Then you forced me into going to the club with you." I playfully accused her and ignored her when she tried to interrupt, defending herself. "Then we started drinking. Then I can vaguely recall dancing with people. And for some reason I remember talking to Eli?" I questioned her towards the end.

"Your memory is about as clear as mine. I think we danced with some younger boys. Then we ran into Adam and Eli and they took us home. I mainly just remember you being so drunk that Eli had to carry you in. Then when they left, I think I changed you into pajamas. That was some hard work right there." Alli laughed as she stood up to cater to the pancakes.

"Oh, crap. Do you remember anything I said to him?" I frantically asked, not sure if I'd rather have her tell me or have her not remember.

"Sorry, hun, but nope. I don't remember a single word you two exchanged." She retorted as she piled the pancakes on a plate and set it on the table so we could start eating.

"Great." I sighed as I lathered a pancake with butter and syrup. If neither of us could remember what was said between me and Eli, then there was a pretty good chance that he didn't remember either, but then again, this was Eli we were dealing with, who for some unknown reason, seemed to have a clearer memory after a night out than most. I groaned and buried my face in my hands.

"I'm sure it'll be fine. Let's just finish eating, then maybe we can watch some movies." Alli tried to soothe me.

"That sounds like a good plan." I smiled at her as I shoved a fork-full of pancake in my mouth.

**Eli**

I woke up to a painful jab in my side. My eyes flew open and spotted Adam kicking me. I was on the smaller couch in his basement and he was hovering above me.

"Dude, it's noon. Your phone alarm went off like five times." Adam said as he handed me my phone.

I blinked a few times, trying to will my mind alert. It was already noon. I was supposed to go shopping with Cassie and my mom in an hour. "Shit. Thanks, man." I told Adam as I stood up and searched for my shoes. "I really have to go, but we still on for video games tomorrow?"

"Yeah, yeah, no problem. You better show up tomorrow!" He called out as I headed out the basement door. The sun met my eyes and I shielded my face. The brightness wasn't helping the small headache that was present.

The previous night, I had left my mom's car at Adam's house, planning that I'd spend the night here. I drove home and burst the the door. I shot up the stairs and ran for the shower, quickly trying to make myself look presentable.

After I dried off, I threw on some jeans and an old shirt. Heading downstairs, I thought of how peculiar it was that I hadn't seen Cassie when I entered the house, or up in my room. As I reached the bottom of the stairs, I called her name out, only to have her emerge from the downstairs bathroom seconds after her name echoed through the hall.

"Well, hey. Look who it is. Thanks for abandoning me last night." her cold words floated through the air.

"Sorry, Cassie, but I wasn't exactly happy with what happened yesterday evening." I told her as I noticed her hand reach for her back pocket.

"Eli, how many times have I told you, cut it with the Cassie shit. It's Cas. And where the hell were you?! You didn't respond to any of my messages." She angrily spat at as she stayed rooted in the same spot, with her hand holding onto something in her back pocket.

"I was hanging out with Adam, okay?" I told her, avoiding all the details I could. It wasn't that I thought she'd be mad, I just didn't think she needed to know everything. She let out a small puff of air before relaxing her stance and giving me a small smile.

"Alright, whatever. All is well." She approached me, giving me a peck on my cheek. She walked past me and sat on the couch, pulling out the object she was gripping from her pocket.

"What is that?" I asked her, walking closer to view whatever she was holding.

"Eli, stop acting so naive. It's not like you haven't seen one before." she smirked and rolled her eyes at me. I watched her hands as they absently toyed with the object. My eyes widened. It was a blunt. And I knew it was filled with weed. I wasn't necessarily surprised, I knew it was a habit of hers. I just hated it whenever she even brought it out around me. She wasn't aware of my bad experiences with it in high school, so she never really understood why I never participated in smoking with her. But the fact that she had the audacity to even bring it into my house, with my parents, was shocking.

"Cas, seriously. Not in here. Put it away." I sternly told her, receiving a chuckle from her.

"Eli, whats the big deal. It never bothered you that much before." she groaned to me.

"Look, in high school, I had some _really _bad run-ins with drugs. I don't want to go into details. But here's the deal, if Cece or Bullfrog catches you with that, they aren't going to be very remorseful as they kick you out." In all honesty, they wouldn't do that. But they'd be pissed. She'd be better off getting kicked out. I'm pretty positive my parents used to be druggies. Perhaps they were until my bad collision with drugs. But since those shudder-worthy memories, they had a strict policy about drugs.

"Just one puff?" Cassie begged me. I shook my head at her. "What about if I go in the backyard?" She asked eagerly.

"Fine. If you really want to." I sighed in disappointment as she skipped out the back door and found a spot by some bushes.

I was suddenly exhausted. Shopping wasn't going to be on the agenda for today. I went up to go find Cece, telling her that we should go next week instead. I found her on her bed, talking with somebody on the phone.

"Oh. Thank you so much, sweetie! It'll be great, I promise!" she excitedly screamed in the phone. Her conversation kept continuing for a while, so I sat on the opposite side of the bed and waited for her to finish.

**Clare **

Alli and I had decided on watching weird indie movies on netflix. We were in the middle of a grotesque scene when my phone started vibrating. I picked it up and looked at the caller id. Confusion took over as I answered. Why was Cece calling me?

"Hello?" I answered with a questioning tone. Alli looked at me oddly and let the movie continue, we weren't that interested in it.

"Hello Clare! I was calling to see if perhaps you were looking for a hob this summer?" She asked me with a chirpy voice.

"Um, not particularly, but a job would be nice." I answered her, confusion laced in my voice.

"Well, we're a few hands short down at the station, so I was wondering if you'd want to help us out this summer? It'd be great because we know you're responsible and you're familiar with the studio." she told me, hopefulness etched in her voice.

"Um, I suppose I could. Yeah, that'd be nice." I started out indifferently, but decided I needed to do something productive.

"Oh. Thank you so much, sweetie! It'll be great, I promise!" She cheered as I heard a creaking in the background. "Can you start tomorrow? It's fine if you can't." She continued on with the same cheerful tone.

"Uh, yeah, I guess I could." I agreed. I had never really worked at the station before, but when I dated Eli, we ended up spending a good deal of time hanging around with Bullfrog, messing around with all the knobs and switches.

"Oh, this is so great! I've missed you so much, dear! Can't wait to see you. You can come around noon, okay? See you later!" She stated before the line went dead.

Alli looked at me expectantly. "I have a job at Bullfrog's radio station." I told her simply and shrugged. She smiled at me and nudged my arm playfully as we both turned our attention back to the movie.

**Eli**

Cece finally hung up the phone. "What was that all about?" I asked, but I already knew it was anew employee.

"Since you decided you were too cool to work at the station, I found somebody else who's happy to help." Cece said smiling at me.

I ignored her, not really caring about what was going on with new employees. "So, change of plans. Instead of going shopping today, we're going to go next week, is that cool with you?" I asked her, hoping she wouldn't try to argue for us going today.

"Oh yeah, that's fine." She shrugged it off, still in a happy mood from whoever she had hired.

I hopped off the bed and headed back into my room, putting on some music and relaxing on my bed. Within minutes, Cassie was snuggled up right against me, reeking of marijuana. But at the moment, I didn't care. I put my arm around her and we drifted off into a nap.


	8. Dinner With the Ex

**I want to start out by apologizing that I haven't update this story for the last two week. I could give you excuses, but I doubt anybody cares. So, I'm sorry and hopefully that won't happen again. **

**Clare**

I woke up to my obnoxious alarm clock spitting out high-pitched beeps at me. Sighing to myself, I rolled over and started hitting every button my hand made contact with until I didn't hear the noise anymore.

Blinking my tired eyes open, I saw it was only 10 am. I still had two hours to get ready and arrive at the station. I felt kind of nervous. It had been quite a while since I had seen Bullfrog and Cece, and frankly, I missed them. They were always so kind and supportive of me, but since we hadn't talked since Eli and I broke up, I was worried that they might view me differently.

After resting my eyes for another five minutes, I yawned and stretched before standing up and walking to the bathroom. I did my business, showered, got dressed, fixed my hair, and even put on a bit of makeup. Even though they had seen me plenty of times without any makeup on and my hair tied up, I wanted to look nice for our first meeting in over a year.

I put on a simple floral dress and cardigan before I headed downstairs. Quickly checking the clock on the oven I sighed in relief when I realized it was only 10:45. I stuck some bread in the toaster and hopped up on the counter while I waited for the bread to pop out crispy. I looked around quietly, distracting myself from the slow toaster when my eyes found a small note taped to the fridge. Hopping down, I walked over and read it.

_Clare- _

_Good luck today! I hope you have fun! There's some money on the table if you need to buy lunch._

_Love you!_

_-Mom_

I smiled and rolled my eyes and ripped the note off the fridge, throwing it in the trash can. I found the $10 laying on an empty place mat and stuck it in my purse.

The bread jumped out of its slot accompanied with a loud beep. I slightly jumped and rushed over to put my toast on a plate. Sitting down at the table, I poured honey over my toast and ate it.

Putting my plate in the dishwasher, I noticed that my mom and Glen had both driven to work today, leaving me without a car. I washed my hands and wondered if I should call Alli. She had a Volkswagen Beetle, but I didn't want to disturb her. Knowing Alli, she was probably still asleep.

I didn't want to burden anybody, so I called a cab. As I waited for the cab to arrive, I put on some flats and occupied myself by scrolling through all the apps on my phone. As I was playing Connor in Words With Friends, I glimpsed the cab pull up on the curb.

I rushed out the door and hopped into the taxi, telling the driver where I needed to be.

"Oh, I love that station! Do you mind if I put it on?" The driver asked me.

"Sure, go for it.," I told her while putting my phone into my purse. She turned on the car's radio and Bullfrog's voice was booming through the speakers. I smiled to myself and felt my body warm up. I missed Bullfrog with his loud, scratchy, deep voice. I missed the way he'd call me Clare-Bear, despite my hatred for that nickname, and I missed the big hugs he'd engulf me in whenever I showed up at the Goldworthy's residence. He was like a father to me.

Arriving at the studio, I handed the driver my money and stepped out of the car while hearing her singing along to some familiar tune. The taxi drove off and I was left standing near the front door of the small building. I took a deep breath and made my way through the door.

"Clare!" Cece called at me and ran over in her high-heels to hug me. She bent down and threw her arms around me as I patted her back. "Bullfrog's just getting ready to go on air," she told me, pointing back at the glass room he was sitting in,"so I was thinking we'll start easy on you and you can start filing through some copyright agreements." Cece told me while leading me into a back room filled with filing cabinets. I recognized the room as the secluded place Eli and I would sneak off to to have quick make out sessions while we were stuck at the studio all day.

Smiling to myself, I listened to Cece describe my task. "Think you can handle it? I'll stay and help you, we can catch up!" She told me as she moved the two folding chairs near a cabinets.

"Sure. Thanks for the job. It'll be nice to actually do something productive this summer." I thanked her.

We talked and filed for what turned out to be five hours. I was too busy laughing and talking to realize so much time had passed until Cece mentioned it, " Oh wow, we've been doing this for five hours! I'm not sure about you, but I am starved."

"Yeah, I'm a bit hungry. Thanks again for the job. You can just text me with my schedule." I said while pulling out my phone and starting to dial for a cab.

"Any chance you want to come eat dinner with us?"

My first thought was about how awkward that could be, but I had just spent the last five hours with Cece and it was barely awkward, so maybe dinner with them wouldn't be that bad. Besides, I still hadn't talked to Bullfrog. "Well, I don't know. I should probably get home..."

"Please, Clare?" She begged, grabbing my wrist and pulling me towards the main entrance of the studio.

"I guess I could." I smiled at her.

"Great! We'll just wait a few more minutes until Bullfrog is off, then we can go. Did you drive here?"

"No. I took a cab"

"Okay, we'll give you a ride home after dinner." She let me know as she took out her phone and send a short text to someone.

We talked mindlessly for a few more minutes until the next host came in and Bullfrog came out to greet us. "Clare-bear!" He called while engulfing me in a tight hug.

"Hi Bullfrog." I replied laughing.

"Clare's going to eat dinner with us." Cece filled him in.

"Good, we need to catch up." He said flinging an arm around my neck and leading me out the building towards their car.

"Sweetie, you can sit in the front. I'll go in the back." Cece opened the car door for me.

"Thanks, but you take the front seat, I insist." I said while getting in the backseat. Cece put up a small fight, but let me go in the backseat.

The drive was filled with laughter and Bullfrog's loud voice. I thought we would eat at a restaurant, but I found out I was wrong when the car was going on the route back to the Goldworthy's house. Instantly, I gulped and started getting nervous. I would have to face Eli, without being aware of what I had said the previous night. On top of that, Cas would probably be there too.

Pretty soon, we were pulling into their driveway.

**Eli**

Cassie and I had been watching tv for pretty much the whole day. We were both still in out pajamas and we had no plans to actually get dressed. We were watching Futurama reruns and snacking on potato chips.

"We need to go out some night and have fun. I want to meet new people and go to a party or something." Cassie started complaining to me.

"Maybe sometime soon. Maybe Adam and his brother will throw a party. They used to quite often in high school. We'll see." It was harder to find a party during summer now that we were all in college and barely kept in contact with our old classmates. Maybe I could call Jake and Mo and we could find a party or something. I hadn't talked to Jake much since Clare and I broke up and I lost contact with Mo shortly after that.

"Well we need to go out and do something. I'm losing my mind here. I love you, but I can't stand being cooped up." She continued, obviously wanting to do something.

"Okay, I'll check out what's going on tomorrow, but let's just relax tonight." I replied, taking a sip of beer.

"Why don't _we_ throw a party?" She continued questioning me.

"Because I don't want to have to deal with the mess." I stated, knowing how messy and disgusting parties could be. I had thrown a few parties, but I always had help. There was the new-york style party I planned with Adam and Clare and Clare's surprise 17th birthday party with Fiona.

"Fine. But there better be at least one night that I can't recall when we go back to school." She threatened me.

"I'm sure there will be." I told her as my phone vibrated. I unlocked the screen and saw a text from Cece.

_Dress nicely. We have a guest coming over for dinner._

I replied, asking her who it was, but I received no reply.

"Cassie, apparently somebody is coming over for dinner, so we're supposed to get ready." I said as I got up and saw her roll her eyes at me calling her Cassie. I grabbed her hand and helped her up and we headed up to my room to start getting ready.

Pretty soon, we weren't dressed up, but we weren't in our pajamas anymore. I was wearing a simple grey v-neck with jeans and Cassie had on a red v-neck and black leather shorts. She was putting on large earrings and bracelets when we heard the car pull into the driveway.

"Ready to go?" I asked her.

"Not yet." She replied, fixing her wavy hair as she came out of the bathroom. I sat down on my bed as I waited for her. She took a seat next to me and started lacing up her combat boots.

We heard the front door open and my parents chattering voices.

"Do you know who it is?" Cassie asked me.

"No idea," I replied, noticing she finished lacing her boots. "You ready now?" I asked as she nodded and gave my lips a peck with her own, right red lips. I stood up, grabbing Cassie's hand and together we started down the stairs.

**Clare**

We walked into the house and I was thankful that Eli and Cas weren't there as soon as I walked in. I followed Cece into the kitchen and she started taking out ingredients. "You still like Fettuccine Alfredo?" she asked and my heart warmed up at the fact that she still remembered my favorite food.

"Yeah, but don't feel the need to make it because of me. Make whatever is easiest."

"No, no. You're the guest."

"Would you mind if I use the bathroom?" I asked.

"Not at all, sweetie. You know where it is."

I left the kitchen and went to the bathroom. I wasn't surprised that I still knew the floor-plan. After all, I had spent plenty of time here. As I was washing my hands, I heard footsteps coming down the stairs and felt my face whiten. I looked at myself in the mirror and started scrunching my hair, trying to revive it.

Not only am I going to have to face Eli, but I'm going to have to talk to Cas. I was nervous about what she was going to do to me after our previous run-in.

Once the couple reached Cece in the kitchen, I heard Eli question who the guest was, and where they were. I took a few deep breaths to prepare myself while my knuckles turned white from gripping the sink's edge so tightly. After looking at my reflection one last time, I turned around and exited the bathroom. From the kitchen, they couldn't see me approach, so I used my last few moments of peaceful solitary to brace myself for shouts directed at my face.

**Eli**

"But seriously, who's the guest? And where are they?" I asked once we reached Cece.

"Oh, you'll find out soon enough. Cas, would you like to help me place some cups around the table?" Cece pulled out some glasses from the cabinet and I knew this guest must have been important. Cassie sluggishly took the glasses and started placing them near the plates that were laid out. When she was finished, she took a seat next to me at the island while we watched Cece cook.

I felt the presence of somebody before I heard the padded footsteps. I turned around almost in sync with Cece and Cassie. And my eyes met with the familiar blue ones that quickly looked down.

"Clare?" I whispered mainly to myself. Her eyes returned up and she gave me a faint smile.

"Hi. Nice to see you guys again." She obviously lied, looking at Cassie. I could feel Cassie's pursed lips and raised eyebrow.

Clare laughed and I gave her a questioning look.

"I like that shade of lipstick on you." She giggled and her eyes lit up.

I immediately knew she saw my face change colors in embarrassment because she laughed louder. I brought my hand to my lips and started wiping away the remains of Cassie's kiss from only minutes ago. Her giggles died out and we were all left in an awkward silence. Luckily, Cece decided to intervene, "Clare is our guest, if you haven't picked up on that." She walked over to Clare and grabbed her hand, only to turn around and drag her behind the island with her, so they were both now facing me and Cassie.

"Dinner will be ready in about 10 minutes, it looks like," Cece said checking the timer on the oven "so Eli, maybe you'd like to go get Bullfrog?" She asked me.

I got up and went upstairs to knock on my parent's door. "Bullfrog, dinner will be ready soon." I warned him and received an "Okay" as a reply. I walked away and headed back down the stairs to rejoin everybody in the kitchen.

Cece was laughing and Clare was sheepishly smiling at something that had been said while Cassie was wearing a fake grin, which appeared more like a grimace.

"Eli, can you get the wine out?" Cece asked of me when she noticed my return. In reply, I walked over towards the refrigerator and started pulling wine out of the top shelf. I set them on the table and leaned against it while everybody chattered and waited.

When we heard Bullfrog's loud footsteps coming down the stairs, Cece started pulling the noodles off the stove and the rest of us found seats at the table. I sat next to Cassie and right in front of Clare, who was going to be by Cece. Bullfrog sat at the head of the table and Cece brought the food to the table. We all started piling our plates and fell into a comfortable silence.

Clare must have had her legs crossed and was swinging her foot above the ground like she always used to because it met with my shin and I looked up at her. Her eyes shot up too and her face fostered the usual blush. I smiled at her for reassurance that everything was alright and no harm was done.

"So, Clare-Bear we've barely gotten to talk today." Bullfrog ignited the conversation.

"Yeah, I was hoping we'd get to talk more." Clare replied, smiling up at Bullfrog.

"Well, we can talk now! How's college life going for ya? Get any cops called on any wild parties yet?" He asked as I heard a snort from Cassie.

"Oh yeah, definitely. You know me, little miss crazy." Clare said with sarcasm seeping through then my parents and her started laughing.

"Oh yes, Clare is so crazy. Did I ever tell you guys about that time that her, Adam, and I went to one of Drew's parties? Clare got so wasted that we couldn't take her home because Helen would have killed her, so we brought her back here and she started pretending my bed was a boat and...yeah." I laughed and finished awkardly because I didn't really want to inform everybody in the room that we had had sex that night. Clare laughed and her cheeks turned slightly pink. She had always been such an easy blusher.

"Trust me son, we know. We heard you guys that night." Bullfrog stated laughing as I choked on my water and Clare's face turned crimson.

I was about to make a retort when Cassie spoke up, "Clare, what's your boyfriend's name again?" She asked with a strange sadistic tone in her voice.

Cece responded before Clare even had a chance. "Oh my God! What?! We were talking for five hours and you never mentioned him?! Is he a good guy?"

Clare smiled and tucked a curl behind her ear. "Yeah. He's helped bring me out of my shell a bit, but every so often he's respectful of my wishes to just stay in and read."

"How long have you guys been dating?"

"Not all too long. We started going out in October."

"What's he majoring in?"

"Business. He wants to go to Law school after he graduates."

Before I could even process what I was doing, I asked a question. "When are we going to get to meet him? I mean you've met Cassie, so now I feel obligated to meet Zach."

Clare turned towards me and gave me a somewhat vague answer. "Soon, possibly. He's supposed to come visit.

The conversation of Zach eventually died down. He sounded nice enough, but there was something that annoyed me about it all. Perhaps it was just jealousy. It was weird to think she had moved on from me. And even though I had a new girlfriend, I wasn't in love with her and we didn't have any of the chemistry Clare and I had. It was just strange to think that all the emotions she once had for me, she now has for him.

Throughout dinner, Cece kept smiling fondly at Clare. I knew she missed her. They used to be so close and Cece was excited about Clare actually becoming her daughter. But that all fell apart.

Dinner passed fairly quickly with a lot less awkward moments than I originally thought. Pretty soon we were all putting our dishes into the dishwasher and getting ready to say goodbye.

"You know what, we should watch a movie!" Bullfrog suddenly declared. Cece nodded her head and agreed. They looked at Clare, awaiting her answer. She looked hesitant and I wasn't sure if I wanted her to accept or decline the offer.

"We could watch Batman. You like that movie, don't you?" Bullfrog asked her. I mentally cursed my parents. Those movies were _our_ movies. Ours, belonging to me and Clare. Our high school and college days consisted of cuddling on my bed or on the couch watching them and quoting back and forth.

"Yeah, if we're watching a comic book movie, I'm out. Night." Cassie called, kissing he hand and placing her hand on my cheek rather hastily before running upstairs.

"Well, how 'bout just the four of us? Just like old times, huh?" Once again, profanities ran through my head directed towards Bullfrog.

Clare looked slightly uncomfortable. "Um, I should probably get home. Thanks for the offer though."

"Alright, maybe next time." Cece comforted her. "You need a ride, don't you? Let me go grab my keys and we can head out." She said and went to go find the car keys.

Bullfrog gave Clare a big hug and kept repeating how glad he was that she was working at the station. He eventually headed towards the kitchen when Cece called for him to help her find the misplaced keys. I was left alone to say goodbye to my old friend.

I put my hands in my back pockets and smiled. Surprisingly, she closed the few feet between us and threw her arms around my neck. "It was nice seeing you again, Eli. Hopefully we can hangout more."

"Yeah, it was great." I told her as we stepped away. "Once again, I'm sorry about Cassie the other day... and today... and the future."

Her laughter prompted my smirk and I hoped I was forgiven for Cassie. "And no, don;t worry, she doesn't hate you. She's like that to everyone." I winked at her, repeating the words to her again, only this time she was sober. She held her smile, but she looked a bit confused.

"When we were at the club the other day, you asked me why she was so mean to you. If she hated you." I reminded her. Her face fell and she started to look worried. I gave her a questioning look.

"What else did I say?" She questioned and looked scared. It was time to mess around with her a bit.

"Oh, not much. Just how instead of her being jealous that we used to date, you should be the jealous one because I 'love' her now." I summarized her words and put air quotations around the word _love _to emphasize how it wasn't a term I'd use for Cassie's and my feelings for each other. "And that you were happy when I texted you." I smirked, but deep down, I really hoped I didn't ruin any potential for us to get back on a friendly level. Hopefully, she knew I was just messing with her.

Just then, Cece came out into the living room, jiggling the keys in her hand to let us know she found them. Clare looked scared and I just winked at her, trying to let her know that everything was fine and I was just playing with her. "See you later, Clare." I said.

"Goodbye, Eli." She said before leaving with Cece. I only hoped it wasn't truly a final 'Goodbye'.


End file.
